Walking, cycling and taking public transport to work were associated in a UK-wide survey of 20,000 people with lower risks of being overweight, which in turn cut high blood pressure tendencies by 17 per cent. Walking appeared to reduce diabetes risks by 40 per cent and cycling by 50 per cent. The study, at Imperial College London, revealed wide regional variations. For example, in London 52 per cent of people used public transport, against 5 per cent in Northern Ireland.

DRUGS-BUGS LINK

Two antidepressants have been linked to the hospital-acquired infection Clostridium difficile. Fluoxetine, the active Prozac component, and mirtazapine were found in a Michigan University study to double the risks. Ten other antidepressants tested negative. However, the researchers could not establish whether the result was due to depression medication or gut microbial changes during depression. Dr Mary Roberts, the project leader, said the link should help to find those at risk of infection and even “encourage exploration of the underlying brain-gut mechanisms involved”.

OSTEOPOROSIS ALERT

High levels of a protein that causes rapid bone breakdown, newly observed in coeliacs, may help to diagnose the risk of osteoporosis, a common coeliac disease complication. Researchers at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, are recruiting more than 600 coeliacs to study the protein’s role and the associated osteoporosis risks. The result could be a blood test to find the coeliacs needing osteoporosis investigation. Coeliac UK and Core, two digestive disorder charities, are supporting this research and a second investigation, at Nottingham University, to find undiagnosed coeliacs, to consider how age, sex, geographical area and socio- economic status affect incidence, and to assess the rate of recognised complications, including pneumococcal diseases.

POMEGRANATE THERAPY

Pomegranate extract appears to benefit pigs’ coronary arteries harmed by dietary fat. Pigs on high-cholesterol food lost much of their artery elasticity and ability to synthesise nitric oxide, and suffered oxidative damage. When the extract was given, its polyphenol compounds protected artery linings, which release substances enabling the vessels to expand to lower blood pressure, boosted production of nitric oxide, another vessel dilator, and prevented oxidative damage. The researchers, at a heart institute in Barcelona, backed by the Spanish health foods company Probeltebio, used pigs for the project, the first in vivo study of pomegranates and cardiac health, because their cardiovascular system is similar to that of humans. They presented their findings to the European Society of Cardiology.

MS VIRUS STUDY

The common Epstein-Barr virus, which most people acquire early in life and carry permanently without harmful effects, may have a role in multiple sclerosis. A Birmingham University project is investigating whether the immune reaction to the virus contains cells that cause the MS autoimmune response leading to demyelination. Other researchers, at the Institute of Neurology in London, are studying the oxygen shortage following inflammation in specific brain areas, which is sometimes severe enough to damage the cells producing myelin. They aim to find precisely what causes the hypoxia. The MS Society is providing the £327,000 to cover both projects.

‘HEDGEHOGS’ IN ASTHMA

An investigation has begun into the connection between molecules known as hedgehog proteins, responsible for intercellular signalling, and allergic immune responses in asthma. Altering the proteins’ function could produce innovative treatments, said Dr Anna Furmanski, the project leader at the UCL Institute of Child Health. She said hedgehog proteins in other allergic conditions, including hay fever and urticaria might eventually be similarly researched.